Shawnee mobile home park to close due to elevated uranium levels in water

SHAWNEE — Some residents are upset after being told they must move out of a mobile home court within the next two months because of unsafe water.

Residents of Meadow Ridge Mobile Home Park in Shawnee have been told they have to move out due to elevated uranium levels. This is a lot were a trailer was pulled out Wednesday. Photo by David McDaniel, The Oklahoman
David McDaniel -

Residents at Meadow Ridge Mobile Home Park in Shawnee received notices this week telling them to vacate the property by June 10. The trailer court has shown elevated levels of uranium in its water since 2007, said Skylar McElhaney, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Uranium levels in the water at the trailer court haven’t remained consistently high, but have risen and fallen over the past seven years, McElhaney said. The owner of the trailer court considered several options for addressing the problem, but eventually decided to close the business instead, she said.

Managers at the trailer court couldn’t be reached for comment.

What’s the risk?

Elevated uranium levels occur naturally, McElhaney said. Although ingesting uranium can lead to kidney damage, residents aren’t likely to experience health problems after drinking water from the trailer court.

Based on estimates from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, a person would need to drink two liters of the water each day for about 70 years to see an elevated risk of health problems, McElhaney said.